A Song in an Echo
by The Sandrock Gal
Summary: "...Jacqueline watched the crowd of teenagers congregated together - of all colors and shapes - and couldn't believe it was real. Never had she felt as though she was in the right place..." R&R!
1. The Plan and the Arrival

"A Song in an Echo"  
  
A/N: I was sitting around, thinking how much I like X-Men, and decided to write this. Yup. It really was *that* easy. The only problem you might have with it is that it's not in any part of the series. Um, that's mostly because I haven't seen the entire third season, so...bear with me. R&R.  
  
DISCLAIMER: You know the drill. I didn't create any of these characters, except for Jacqueline Montclair. But hey, if they want, Marvel and the WB can have her too! (I wouldn't mind, teehee!)  
  
Chapter 1: The Plan and the Arrival  
  
"The silver one has made her way here from France," Irene says, he head low and she and the metamorph Mystique sit in the dark limo. Outside a thunderstorm brews and shakes the sky.  
  
"Will she go to Xavier?"  
  
"Yes, and ask for his help as well."  
  
The thunder roars after a horrific lightning cracks.  
  
"Are you sure this is wise?" Irene asks. "She knows Xavier; it would be harder to convince her of our intentions after she speaks with him."  
  
"As long as she doesn't see me in my true form, I believe it will be fairly easy to win her over. Remember, America can be very hostile to mutants; think of how a foreign one like Silver would feel."  
  
Irene's eyes behind the sunglasses twinge. "Xavier will make her feel welcomed. I suspect she will stay with him at the Mansion."  
  
"Well, we're going to have to prove that it's not all that it's cracked up to be, won't we?"  
  
3.5 miles away...  
  
Jacqueline found the rain annoying. It pelted down on her like soft pebbles, cold to the touch. The short tumbling of thunder died away to the horizon, and now she stood in front of the giant gates of Xavier's mansion. The plaque on it read: "Charles Xavier Manor".  
  
A camera watches her...  
  
Logan growls defensively, watching the monitor screen. Who was this stranger at the gates? Ever since the brats from Bayville High School came and obstructed Xavier's property, the Wolverine never trusted any unexpected visitors quite the same again.  
  
"Hey," He calls to the Cyclops, who was passing the control room. He came in, wearing the uniform of the X-Men - probably on his way to training to some new recruits in the Danger Room. "You recognize her?"  
  
Scott shook his head, staring at the screen Logan motioned toward."No, but maybe the Professor would."  
  
"Yes, I do," Professor Xavier rolled into the room, followed by the uniformed Jean. "Her name is Jacqueline Montclair. She comes from France, and I knew she'd be coming. But not this soon."  
  
"How do you know her, Professor?" Jean asked.  
  
"Her skin is abnormal, like Kurt's, you see, and her grandfather requested a holographic inducer from me to cover her safely. I haven't seen Jacqueline in, oh, almost 20 years."  
  
Logan crossed his arms. "So what is she doing here?"  
  
"I don't know yet." He rolled out, Jacqueline looking around aimlessly on the monitor screen.  
  
A/N: Yeah, I know it was short. But I want to write a lot of chapters instead of three or four HUGE ones that I know some writers do. R&R. 


	2. The Attack

"A Song in an Echo"  
  
DISCLAIMER: blah blah blah...I don't own any of this...blah blah blah...copyrighted by Marvel and WB...blah blah blah...don't sue me...blah blah blah...I'm broke...  
  
Chapter 2: The Attack  
  
Storm brought in a tray with some tea into Professor Xavier's office and offered it to Jacqueline, who was sitting opposite of the man.   
  
"Merci," Jacqueline sniffled, and removed her holographic inducer watch. Her skin jumped to the color of silver. "It is razher cold when it rains here, colder than France."  
  
"So you are from France," Jean asked, standing near a chess board. "Where?"  
  
"Nears Strasbourg. It is very close to Allemande - euh, Germany."  
  
Jean nodded and looked to Xavier.  
  
"Are you here for a visit, Jacqueline?" He asked as she took a sip of the tea. "It's has been a long time since we last saw each other."  
  
"I realize zhat, Monsieur, and I apologize for not giving you any notice. Just last week, I did not myself know I would be here."  
  
Xavier leaned in. "And why is that?"  
  
Jacqueline stared down at the teacup and hesitated. She looked from Jean, to Storm, to Xavier, and back down. "In France, I was...attacked. By an American mutant."  
  
The Professor looked at Storm and Jean questionably, then at her. "Jacqueline, I have the ability to read a person's mind. I would like to know which mutant it was you saw, but if you don't want to speak it, I can try to find out for myself. "  
  
"I would prefer that, Professor."  
  
He wheeled around to where she sat. "Just relax, and think back to when it happened."  
  
Jacqueline's mind flooded to Xavier and images of a blue woman with red hair and yellow eyes rose. She attacked Jacqueline in her studio while she was sleeping, and he felt the fright of seeing her standing over Jacqueline's bed. A piercing scream came to him and he sat straight, braking the concentration.  
  
"Professor," Jean said, rushing over. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine," Xavier breathed. "Mystique was the one who attacked her. She used her powers to ward her off."  
  
"I was not sure if she would return, mais, I ran anyway. I managed to get a few of my things," Jacqueline explained, motioning to her backpack slumped against her chair. "And I used all the money I saved to come here. You were the only person I knew who would help me, Professor."  
  
"What about your grandfather? Where is he?"  
  
Jacqueline looked down. "He is not...with us any longer, Professor."  
  
"Don't worry, Jacqueline," Xavier said, rolling over to the long window in his office. "We will take care of this. I don't know what Mystique wants with you, but rest assured you will not return to France until this is settled."  
  
"Merci beaucoup, monsieur," She said, her face lighting up.  
  
"And of course, you will be staying here with my students. I told you of how trained them, didn't I?"  
  
"Oui, monsieur. I am anxious to meet them."  
  
Jean stucked out her hand. "I'm Jean Gray, and that's Storm."  
  
"You may call me Ororo, Jacqueline and welcome to America."  
  
She shook both their hands. "Bonjour, merci Miss Ororo." 


	3. Singing

"A Song in an Echo"  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't sue me. I don't own these characters.  
  
A/N: Beware, there's some French coming up. And if you're fluent in the language, I apologize in advance. The translation is from "The Water is Wide", and probably incorrect. But I hope it fools everyone else out there who doesn't speak french! Merci!  
  
Chapter 3:   
  
"L'eau est large que je ne peux pas recevoir sur   
  
Et ni a je vole pour voler me   
  
Donne un bateau qui portera deux  
  
Et les deux ramera mon amour et je  
  
Où l'amour est planté O là-bas il grandit   
  
Il grandit et fleurit comme une rose   
  
Il a une odeur douce et agréable   
  
Aucune fleur sur la boîte de Terre il excelle..."  
  
"Kitty, vhat are you doing?"  
  
Kurt's voice scared Kitty and she pushed away from the bathroom door. "Sush, Kurt!"  
  
"Vell, vhat is it that you're doing?" The nightcrawler strolled up to her, and looking at the bathroom door.  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She whispered. "Someone's singing in the shower. I'm listening."  
  
Kurt was silent.   
  
"...Un bateau il y a et elle navigue la mer   
  
Elle est chargée profond comme profond peut être   
  
Mais pas si profond comme l'amour que je suis dans   
  
je ne sais pas si je coule ou nage..."  
  
"Who is that?"   
  
Kitty shrugged. "I don't know. But they're not bad, huh?"  
  
Soon Rogue turned the corner and stopped. "Oh great, don't tell me you two are waiting for the bathroom."  
  
"No, it's not that," Kurt said. "We're eavesdropping."  
  
"Kurt!"  
  
"...L'amour de O est bel et l'amour est bel   
  
Et amour un bijou pendant que c'est nouveau   
  
Mais quand c'est vieil il grandit si froid   
  
Et disparaît comme la rosée de matin."  
  
Jacqueline stopped singing. Through the sound of the shower she heard the three voices outside the door. They liked her singing. She welled with pride and remembered how in France she performed on the street corners for money. She was starting to enjoy the Professor's Mansion more and more.  
  
She started up a new song.  
  
"Morning has broken, like the first morning  
  
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird  
  
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning  
  
Praise for the springing fresh from the world..."  
  
"Ssh, she's starting again!"  
  
"Sweet the rain's new fal, sunlit from heaven  
  
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass  
  
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden  
  
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass..."  
  
More people had stopped in the hall. She recognized Jean's voice as one of them.  
  
"She's french, but I still don't know what her powers are yet. The Professor said she used them against Mystique..."  
  
*How odd,* Jacqueline thought. *They're curious about my powers? I've never knew anyone to feel like that!*  
  
"...Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning  
  
Born of the one light, eden saw play  
  
Praise with elation, praise every morning  
  
God's recreation of the new day."  
  
Jacqueline dressed quickly so that Xavier's students would still be there.   
  
The door opened suddenly. Kitty and the others were so distracted from Jean telling them about the newcomer, that they hadn't noticed the 


	4. Training

DISCLAIMER: Don't sue. I don't own them. Marvel does. That's it.  
  
A/N: I think this is a boring chapter.  
  
Chapter 4: Unanswered Question  
  
"Jacqueline? This is Scott Somers," Jean said, stepping away from Rogue, who was pounding on the door. A young man with sunglasses over his eyes and a line jaw stood beside Jean.  
  
Jacqueline smiled. "'Allo."  
  
"Hello," Scott replied. "And that's Kitty and Rogue. You've obviously met Kurt."  
  
"Very interesting, that boy is. He reminds me of someone."  
  
Jean looked to Scott and coughed. "Uh, anyway, since it's Saturday and everything, we train during the afternoon in the Danger Room. The Professor has invited you to watch."  
  
"Train? You mean, wiz your powers?"  
  
"Yes," Jean answered. "It's mostly routine; in the Danger Room we create scenarios that might happen in everyday life."  
  
"I see," Jacqueline said. "Yes, I zhink I would like to see zhat."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Professor, I do not zhink I 'ave seen so many mutants in zhe same place before today."  
  
"Odd?"  
  
"Un peu." A little.  
  
Xavier smirked and started the simulation from the control room. Jacqueline stood behind him, looking through the windows down into where his students were.  
  
"Well, I'm not surprised. There's not a lot of institutes like this one."  
  
"Zhey are so lucky," Jacqueline murmured, watching them.  
  
"And so young. Zhey seem to be still in school."  
  
"They are," Xavier replied.   
  
The simulation started. Shadowcat, Kitty, and the Nightcrawler had to rescue Storm in a warehouse, all the while watching out for Jean, Cyclops, and Wolverwine trying to prevent them from reaching them.  
  
"Professor?" Jacqueline asked. "What are zhey training for?"  
  
Xavier closed his eyes. "Unfortunately, attacks from other mutants," He opened them. "The existance of mutants is more open in the United States, and there are those afraid of normal human beings. So they attack them. I try to teach the young ones to protect those that can't from the dangerous."  
  
"Is zhis true, Professor? Mutants zhat attack ozher mutant?"  
  
"Yes. Mystique is one of those mutants that can do that. She is against the normal people, and against us because we protect them. I'm afraid there are many like her trying to stop us so that they can get to the normal people."  
  
"Why did she go through the trouble of finding me?"  
  
"That, I still cannot answer." 


End file.
